Damian Lillard has become the latest disgruntled NBA superstar after the Portland Trail Blazers fell short in the NBA Playoffs once more. As is the case with nearly every superstar, a dream scenario of Lillard joining the Los Angeles Lakers has been born.
This speculation was turned up another degree when Lillard and LeBron James were seen together at a Los Angeles Sparks game. Not only was Lillard in LA, at the Staples Center, but he was with LeBron. Perhaps they were talking business?
While it is fun to dream, the Lakers landing Lillard is nearly impossible. As much as fans want to hype up the Lakers’ possible trade assets, LA simply does not have enough to outbid other potential suitors.
That is, unless the Lakers go with the absurd trade that Colin Cowherd suggested on show, ‘The Herd’
Colin Cowherd suggests that the Los Angeles Lakers should trade Anthony Davis for Damian Lillard.
A star for a star swap. This is a deal that Portland would definitely say yes to and probably not think twice about. Why? Because Davis is the better player.
I know that Dame is a really popular superstar and he is one of the three most entertaining players to watch, but there is a reason why Portland hasn’t made it as far as they have. Davis did not get far with New Orleans, to be fair, but he also didn’t have the supporting cast that Dame has.
Both guys are elite players and we really are splitting hairs here but at his best Davis is a top-five player in the league. Lillard, on the other hand, is closer to double digits than he is the top five.
I get the logic for potentially trading AD for Lillard. Anthony Davis has a long list of injuries in his career and Lillard has consistently been more reliable. He also, theoretically, adds a secondary scoring presence with LeBron to take some of the burden off.
Davis is a much tougher matchup to stop, though. While Lillard is obviously very hard to stop at well, there is some sort of game plan to stop him. Double him at half court and attack him with perimeter defenders. It can be done.
Davis, on the other hand, is so hard to stop because of his blend of size, athleticism and his ability to stretch the floor. Unless you have Giannis Antetokounmpo or a clone of Anthony Davis, you’re not stopping him.
That also leads to the defense. Davis is one of the five best defenders in the league without a doubt. Lillard is a below-average defender. When the scoring numbers are so similar between the two stars, the defense pushes it way over the edge in favor of Davis.
Yes, Davis does get hurt, but he also just put together one of the greatest postseasons in NBA history en route to the 2020 NBA Championship. LeBron may have won Finals MVP, but Davis was the one that was better throughout the entire postseason.
To trade that, and the chemistry that those two have created is just asinine. While there are multiple players who are better than Davis, there probably isn’t a single person in the league that the Los Angeles Lakers would trade him for. He is the future of the team.